DEC chief: State may miss fracking deadline

5:46 AM,
Feb. 5, 2013

Anti-fracking protesters gather in the Million Dollar Staircase at the state Capitol Monday, where they called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban hydrofracking following budget testimony from DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens.

Written by

Jon Campbell, Albany Bureau

ALBANY -- The state may miss a key deadline in its analysis of hydraulic fracturing if the Department of Health recommends new safety measures, New York's top environmental regulator said Monday.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation faces a Feb. 27 deadline to finalize its proposed fracking regulations or allow them to expire. Whether the agency will meet the deadline depends on when state Health Commissioner Nirav Shah completes his review of the DEC's analysis and what he ultimately recommends, DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens said at a legislative budget hearing ...